The Worcester Bosch boiler manufacturer has added to its website a new section called ‘Quick Gas Boiler Help.’

Designed to help boiler users during the cold winter months, the new section to the Worcester Bosch boiler’s website is there to offer friendly and easily accessible advice at all times. As the team at Worcester point out, a boiler’s lights might start flashing, but it could be something quite innocent – a simple command – or it could mean it needs servicing by a Gas Safe Registered engineer.

But the Worcester team make the valid point that more often than not, it’s a simple process to put right, but users have to have the confidence to put it right. And that’s where the handy online reference comes in. It provides quick hints and answers, plus lists of frequently asked questions, that should help most users of Worcester boilers with their initial queries and dilemmas.

Users of the website first select their model of Worcester Bosch boiler from a drop-down menu and can then click on the icon ‘find tips’ for all kinds of valuable advice. The list of frequently asked questions handles a number of recurring topics, including the meaning of certain codes, the implications of a blue flashing light and how to re-pressurise a system. The section also includes a number of helpful videos and advice as to whether a call to a Worcester representative might be beneficial.

Worcester make the point that the advice section only offers an initial level of advice and does not replace professional advice, or using a heating engineer when appropriate.

The new section of the Worcester website comes at the same time that the Company has launched a campaign to find some of their oldest models still in existence. They particularly want to track down working examples of a: Heatslave Senior 6; Heatslave 2+; Firefly Oil Fired boiler; and, a Highflow 3.5. These are between 20 and 40 years old and are needed for an extensive collection already housed in the Worcester boiler museum. This unique collection gives visitors an insight into years of products, company literature, press cuttings and photography.

The hunt for the old boilers also commemorates two coming milestones in the history of the company. Next year it will be the 125th birthday of Bosch and a year later in 2012, Worcester will be celebrating 50 years of existence.

The Worcester Bosch boiler team are targeting installers who they think might know of customers who have the units mentioned above. And in return for being offered such a boiler, they are willing to donate £400 – matching the boiler scrappage scheme grant – to help towards a new boiler.

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The Chester and District Housing Trust is trialling Baxi back boilers in a scheme which sees it updating its housing stock to meet the Decent Homes standards. Part of the ambition is to try and combat fuel poverty for the house holders.

The Baxi Bermuda BBU HE is one of the few true high efficiency boilers on the market at the moment. Their back boilers are designed to offer all the benefits of a modern boiler, together with all the advantages of a traditional back boiler.

The Chester and District Housing Trust has over 1,000 of its properties fitted with standard efficiency back boiler units. The challenge was to select and install an affordable alternative.

Hamish Laird, The Chester and District Housing Trust M&E Surveyor, said:
“Back boiler units cleverly fit into a property’s existing fireplace. However, when it comes to replacing a standard efficiency BBU siting a boiler alternative elsewhere can prove difficult, especially in small homes.”

The first property to get an installed Baxi Bermuda BBU HE was a 1950s bungalow in Melrose Avenue, Chester. It was chosen because being a one-bedroomed property, it had very limited wall space and would be a challenging site for a traditional condensing boiler.

The contractor to install the boiler was PH Jones, a national property maintenance company and Chris Jones, Social Housing Refurbishment Director at PH Jones, said:
“The installation of the Baxi Bermuda BBU HE went very smoothly. We connected the unit to the existing pipe-work, renewed all radiators and incorporated an expansion vessel to upgrade to a pressurised system with Y plan control and a new hot water cylinder, working closely with the XDHT to minimise disruption to the tenant.”

Mr Laird went onto say:
“The Baxi Bermuda BBU HE offered Melrose Avenue a high efficiency solution as a direct replacement to its existing BBU, without needing to re-site the boiler. The tenant living in the property has found the BBU unit easy to use and should now benefit from significant fuel savings.”

Hi-efficiency Baxi back boilers have become more popular when consumers bear in mind that since 2003, there has been a whopping 114% rise in gas prices. This has brought a new priority to throwing out old, inefficient boilers, and installing new ones. When compared to an old Band G boiler, says the Energy Saving trust, a Band A boiler will use a third less fuel in providing the same amount of heat.

Baxi reckons that there are around two million old back boilers still being used today and designed the Baxi Bermuda BBU HE, which is Band A rated and has an output of 15kW, as a suitable replacement.

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A one-off Worcester Greenstar boiler has been created to support Breast Awareness Month.

Manufacturers Worcester-Bosch have produced the Worcester Greenstar – a SEDBUK A rated high efficiency condensing boiler – in magenta pink. The company hopes that it will prove popular with bidders on eBay where it is being auctioned with proceeds going to Breakthrough Breast Cancer and The Worcestershire Breast Unit Campaign. The two charities will share the proceeds from the bidding 50/50.

The lucky winner will not only get a free boiler, but also get it installed for free, making the winning package worth well over £1,500. There is no reserve price in the auction, so Worcester hopes the bidding will be strong.

The company point out that a Worcester Greenstar boiler is over 90% efficient and that the winning bidder for the unit will not only help fund vital breast cancer research, but will also use an appliance which will help the environment.

The company said:
“Breast Cancer is something close to so many people’s hearts at Worcester and this auction continues Worcester’s support for such charities, with Cancer Research as their chosen charity for the year.”

Worcester also pointed out that there are many boilers still in use today that are maybe around 15 years old and although working fine, they are likely to be less than 70% efficient, which simply means that some thirty pence in the pound is being wasted in its operation.

Consumer brand manager at Worcester, Sue Pennington, said:
“We are delighted to be able to support two such worthwhile causes and came up with the idea of creating a unique boiler. This really is an exclusive auction and, although we would normally only recommend that customers go through qualified installers, we didn’t want to miss the opportunity of getting involved in the fundraising for these worthy causes.

“The magenta pink boiler will certainly stand out in someone’s kitchen as well helping save lives, energy and money in long run. We hope people will get bidding and raise as much as possible.”

All those feeling in the pink should have a go.

Guest Article by Neil Camp 

Worcester-Bosch have picked up a top award for its commitment to installer support.

Installers are the gas engineers at the sharp end who on a daily basis are fitting new boilers into homes and businesses throughout the country. And Worcester Combi boilers have received a gong for offering what is said to be an “…unrivalled service to installers and customers alike…”.

Worcester on a daily basis handles over 2,000 telephone enquiries using a team of 37 advisors. It claims to have the best technical support department with the longest opening hours and can also handle enquires sent in via the post, emails, or fax.

Worcester Combi boilers were given their award at a gala ceremony hosted by the comedian Barry Cryer OBE.

Taking the gong on behalf of Worcester was Colin Simpson, Technical Support Manager, who received the proffered award from event sponsors OFTEC.

Mr Simpson said:
“We’re delighted to receive this award. One of our priorities is the support we can offer our network of installers and this award is the latest testament to that.

“We are passionate about quality and reliability and our department is extremely well equipped with a state-of-the-art telephone system, which complements our team of exceptionally skilful technical support advisors.

“We work to exceptionally high standards throughout each year and are always looking to ensure that the best possible foundations are in place to support installers.”

Worcester Combi boilers claim that their support team is one of the most highly trained in the industry. The company’s support team undergo a thorough training programme which includes practical installation, safety rules and legislation, commissioning of equipment, servicing live boilers, solar systems and heat pumps.

The Company say that with over 2,000 calls a day, they have to ensure that the support team can answer almost any enquirer quickly and efficiently, helping installers get on with their job.

Guest Article by Neil Camp 

The MP for Leeds Central who’s also the Shadow Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Hilary Benn, has been shown the new Baxi Bioflo Biomass boiler.

Mr Benn was opening one of first new generation Plumb Center branches and was given a demonstration of the new Baxi Bioflo Biomass boiler. The Plumb Center has renewable technology displays, training facilities, showrooms, and a catalogue of water efficient products on display.

With the successful refurbishment of this first branch located in the centre of Leeds, there will be much hope for the other similar upgrades planned right across the country throughout the rest of the year. With the Plum Center including training facilities, it is hoped that these new branches will be at the forefront of providing training in the industry to customers and staff alike.

This idea is one of many that Plumb Center have brought to fruition, starting back in 2008 when they made their first dedication to the renewable energy and solutions cause. In April 2008, Plumb Center backed its parent company Wolseley PLC in the opening of a show space for sustainable building products. Architects, installers and landlords could see close-up the new ideas and innovative technologies in the field of renewable solutions. The Sustainable Building Center in Leamington Spa demonstrated to many the first available micro-CHP appliance (the Baxi Ecogen), and has been visited by more than 10,000 people since it’s opening.

As for the new opening, Plumb Center are proud of their new pledge to sustainable solutions as Keith Jones, MD Plum Center, explains: "We are delighted to officially open this flagship branch which incorporates so many of the technologies, products and facilities that our customers want to see. What better way to show customers the benefits of new and sustainable technologies such as biomass than by having them as working displays in the branch actually providing space and water heating for the building."

Mr Benn appeared inspired by the opening, and will take the ideas on board as the Shadow Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: “Seeing is believing. Green technologies and water saving innovations are crucial to our future, and I applaud Plumb Center for taking this lead in encouraging both the industry and the public to see for themselves how these innovations really can work. Of course, from a local point of view, I’m very pleased that this is happening in my own constituency as I believe this will be a huge benefit to local installers and their customers."

With working displays such as the Baxi Bioflo biomass boiler within the Plumb Center, it is hoped that the funding for and proliferation of renewable and energy saving technologies will only continue to increase.

Guest Article by Neil Camp